The Yellow Boots
by ProFfeSseR
Summary: Post Partings. Luke and Lorelai have broken up after Luke found out what happened that night. They haven’t talked ever since. But what happens if April searches Luke’s stuff and finds a shoe box in the bottom of his closet, containing the yellow boots? Fi
1. The story behind the boots

_A/N: This story takes place about 4 months after the season finally. Luke and Lorelai have broken up after Luke found out what happened that night. They haven't talked ever since. But what happens if April searches Luke's stuff and finds a shoe box in the bottom of his closet, containing the long lost yellow boots? _

_I want to thank David for proofreading this story! _

**Chapter 1 – The story behind the boots**

"Hey Luke?"

Luke looked at his daughter. "Yeah?"

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

"You already refilled all the salt and pepper shakers and the ketchup bottles. There's not much else you can do around here."

"Can't I do some stocking? Or help Caesar in the kitchen?"

"You know you're not allowed in either the stock room or the kitchen. Don't you have homework to do?"

"I already finished that half an hour ago. School just started again this week, so there's not much homework yet."

"Then read the book I bought you last week."

"I finished it already. And there's nothing else I can do around here. Can't you let me help you with something? I can work the cash register, or I can help serving coffee or something."

Luke thought for a few minutes. "Do you know how to make a bed?"

"Of course I do." She told him with a 'duh' face.

"Then why don't you go upstairs and make your bed. There are comforters in the closet in the apartment together with clean sheets. I'll be up in about half an hour and then we can watch a movie together or something."

April nodded, happy he let her go up to his apartment all by herself. She liked to sneak around through his stuff and learn something new about her dad every time. Last time she was sleeping over she found some old pictures of her grandparents and her aunt Liz, and Luke spend half an hour telling her stories about them, until the memories got too painful and he send her to bed almost an hour before her bedtime. But she didn't care. She loved to spend time with her dad, especially when he opened up to her a little. Ever since he broke up with Lorelai, he changed. He was grumpy, he talked even less than before, and his food tasted different. He never told her why he and Lorelai broke up. She didn't understood any of it, because as far as she'd seen, they were happy together. She knew how much her dad loved Lorelai, she could see it in his eyes when he talked about her. She heard stories around town, but that was all where she got her information. She knew better than to ask Luke about it. She tried once, but Luke had gotten so mad, that she didn't dare to try again.

"April?"

That shook her out of her thoughts. "I'll see you soon."

"If you need any help, just call me okay."

"Okay, although I'm sure I don't need your help Luke. I'm thirteen years old. I know how to make a bed. I help my mom all the time."

Proud at all his daughter could do, he smiled slightly. "Then go up. I'll be there as soon as I can."

April hopped off the stool, picked up her backpack from the floor and climbed the stairs to the apartment. She opened the door and walked inside. She looked around and saw that nothing changed since the last time she was here. Not that she expected it to of course. She walked into the room that was once Jess' and saw that the bed was completely empty. She dropped her backpack on the bed, and walked back to the main area of the apartment. She walked to the closet and took out the comforter and the clean sheets, then walked back to the bed and started making it. Because she was small, and the comforter was hard to handle, it took her almost 15 minutes before the bed was made. She knew she had only 15 minutes left now to sneak around.

Not wanting to waste any time, she walked back to the closet where she took the comforter from. She opened it and took a few steps back, deciding where to start. Knowing most people had the most interesting stuff far in the bottom of the closet, she decided that's where she needed to be. She moved some old shoes outside the closet, and ran into some boxes. She opened the first one. It was completely filled with baseball pictures. She smiled, not at all surprised Luke had something like this in the bottom of his closet. She put the box aside, and took out the next one. There were a lot of pictures. Newer pictures than the once she found last time. Pictures of Luke and Lorelai dancing. Pictures of the two of them in all sorts of position. She smiled at the pictures, and remembered once more how happy her dad used to be. Knowing she didn't have much time, and it wasn't something she could talk about with Luke, she put the box back into the closet and took out another one. This was a smaller one, like a shoe box. She took it out curiously. When she opened it, she saw it was indeed a shoe box. There were yellow rain boots inside. She checked the size. Size 9. She wondered who they belonged to. They were too small for Luke, and Lorelai didn't seem like the type to wear yellow rain boots. Maybe they were from Liz? Or maybe one of Luke's old girlfriends. Not that she knew about any of them, but she figured Luke had old girlfriends. He dated her mom, so why wouldn't he have dated other women too?

She moved all the stuff back into the closet, except for the shoe box. Then she walked to her bed for the evening, and started taking out the stuff from her backpack. She wanted to make it seem like she was busy and hadn't been sneaking around. And she 'accidentally' found the box when she was looking for the comforters.

-xxxxxx-

Luke walked upstairs and saw how April was busy emptying her backpack. He walked up behind her and studied his daughter for a few seconds, before he announced his presence. "I see you managed."

"I did. It took me a while, but I think it looks good, don't you?"

"It does."

April studied her father for a few seconds, wondering if she should ask him right away or if she should wait for a while. She wasn't tired yet and she really wanted to see the movie so she decided to wait until later. "Are you ready for the movie?"

"I'm ready when you are. Did you pick one yet?"

"I brought this one." She handed him the DVD box..

He read the lines at the back of the box. "Science fiction huh."

"This is not science fiction Luke. You'll see that in a few years, it will all turn out to be true."

Luke shook his head. "We'll see."

The next hour and a half they watched the movie in silence. Then, when the movie was over, Luke was ready to send April to bed. "You can change and brush your teeth now."

"But Luke…"

"It's almost 11. If your mom knows I let you stay up until after 10 o'clock she never let you sleep over again."

April laughed out loud. "She lets me stay up until midnight almost every weekend."

"And I said you have to go to bed now."

"Fine." April walked away to get her night stuff and disappeared into the bathroom.

Luke looked around his apartment. He was happy April was sleeping over more often. The place was so empty and he liked the distraction. Everything seemed normal, until he looked towards the closet and saw a box in front of it. Wondering how it got there and what was in it, he knelt down next to it. He took off the lid and was surprised when he saw what the box held. Something he didn't remember he had, and definitely did not want to be confronted with. He knew April must have found the box in the bottom of his closet, which means she was sneaking around. He put a hand on his face as he covered the box and was about to put it back in the closet, when he heard the bathroom door open.

"Hey Luke? What's in the box."

"As if you don't know it. I told you that you're not allowed to sneak through my stuff."

"I was looking for the comforters." She looked guilty though.

"This box was in the bottom of the closet. The comforter was on the top shelf."

"That's what I figured out when I couldn't find it in the bottom."

He shook his head. "You have no right to go through my stuff. If you ever do it again, I won't allow you to go up here by yourself, ever again. You hear me?"

"Fine." April wondered why Luke was so mad. He wasn't mad when she found the pictures last time and she asked him to tell some stories.

"Now, go to bed."

She nodded and was about to walk to the bed, when she turned around. "Hey Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"They were Lorelai's, weren't they?"

He nodded. "I don't want to talk about it."

"But…" She thought carefully if it was smart to bring up the subject. "They don't seem Lorelai-like."

With the box in his hands, he sat down on the bed. "They're not."

"Then?" Seeing his response, she knew she could press a little further.

"I was ordering stuff for my dad's boat."

April knew about the boat. It had been parked in front of the diner for months now.

"I needed a whole bunch of stuff and called to make the order when Lorelai walked in. The catalogue was laying on the counter and she went through it. She saw the picture of the boots and somehow fell in love with them. Beats me why. So she kept pushing me to order the boots for her, and of course, I ended up doing so. It was the only thing they had in stock, all the other things went on backorder."

April saw how the look on her father's face changed when he told her the story. There was some sort of peace upon it. "Just, there's one thing I don't understand. If she was so in love with the boots, then why are they in the back of your closet?"

The look on his face changed instantly. "Because we broke up before I had the chance to give them to her."

Knowing he wasn't talking about their recent break-up she wondered. "What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it anymore okay. You have to go to bed. It's late."

April nodded, knowing not to push him. She walked towards her father and hugged him. "Goodnight Dad."

"Goodnight April." He placed a kiss in her hair before he let her go.

He watched how she climbed into the bed and snuggled into the pillow. For some reason that reminded him of Lorelai. She climbed into bed the same way April did, only she would turn around after a few seconds and put her head on his shoulder and start playing with his chest hair. On the days she was not tired, she would start talking about whatever was going on in her mind, and on the days she was, she would kiss him a few times, snuggle even closer if it was possible and fell asleep within a few minutes. He knew that because either way, he would lie awake for at least 15 minutes, thinking about how lucky he was to have her in his arms. But that was then. And when he thought about it some more, that was even long before they broke up. The last few months she had been distancing herself from him.

She hurt him so badly. When she avoided him for days and then finally came to the diner with her stupid ultimatum. Didn't she know him at all? Didn't she know he was not good with change? That she shouldn't push him? Didn't she know that if she gave him a day or so to think things over, he would have come up with a solution? But no. When he went to her the next day to talk about it, the first thing she told him was that she cheated on him. With… He couldn't even think about it anymore. He truly hated her and the way she hurt him. And he hated him even more. All along he knew that one day he would lose her to him, and he still didn't know why he was even surprised when it finally happened. He heard that she was as unhappy as he was right now. But he didn't believe it. This is what she wanted all along, and he knew it.

T.B.C.


	2. An explanation

_A/N: Thanks for everyone who read and reviewed the first chapter. And thanks to David for proofreading!_

**Chapter 2 – An explanation**

"Hey Lane?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you keep an eye on April for a while? I have to go to the bank for half an hour or so."

"Sure no problem."

Luke turned to face his daughter. "I have an appointment at the bank. Stay inside the diner and listen to Lane. I'll be back as soon as I can. Okay?"

"Okay." April didn't mind at all. She thought this was the perfect opportunity to ask Lane about her dad and Lorelai. When she saw his reaction to the boots yesterday, she saw how much he still loved Lorelai. She heard the stories where she was as miserable as he was, and she thought that she could fix it. She knew that most kids wanted their parents together, but April knew that her mom and Luke weren't right for each other. Besides, she had never seen her parents together. They had broken up long before she was born, even before her mother found out she was pregnant with her, and she accepted that a long time ago. Of course, when she was younger she asked her mother questions about her dad. 'Why do other kids have a daddy and I don't?' No matter how young she was, she knew how uncomfortable her mother was answering that question. After a while she just stopped asking. Until she got older and wanted to find her dad. She was lucky to have the help of her uncle then.

When she was sure Luke was gone, she turned to Lane. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Why did my dad and Lorelai broke up?"

Lane felt uncomfortable right away. "You should ask your father."

"Yeah, right. You know how he acts when someone brings her up. I'm only 13 and I would like to live a little longer."

Lane smiled. "It was complicated."

"But I thought they were happy."

"No. Lorelai wasn't happy for a long time. I don't know about Luke though. I think it was just too much for him -- finding out about you, the engagement. Just everything together."

"So he broke up with her?"

"No, she broke up with him."

"Why? Didn't she love him?"

"Oh she did. She still does. She just…."

"She what?"

"She wasn't happy."

"Why not?"

"Because your father stayed away from her. Even though they were engaged, he didn't share everything with her. She asked him to marry her, but after she planned the wedding, he asked her to postpone it. And in the end she stopped believing it would ever happen. I think at some point the bomb exploded and it went wrong."

"Then why's my dad so sad? And why is she sad? I mean, she is sad right?"

"She is. They both are." Lane thought for a while. "Look, they both made mistakes. I know you want to fix it, but I'm not sure if it can be fixed."

"Why not? They love each other. I know they do."

"I know. But maybe… maybe love isn't enough."

"I don't think I understand."

"Even when you love someone, that person can make you unhappy. Sometimes you just have to let go."

"But why?"

"You'll understand when you get older."

"So you would give up on Zack without a fight?"

That confused Lane. "What do you mean?"

"Let's say Zack wanted to start a new band, or gets the chance to become a part of one of the most famous rock bands. Would you let him go?"

"He would never do that. We have our own band."

"Let's say he would. He starts touring and will be home one week a year. Would you let him go?"

"I would do anything to stop him. I guess."

"So, why did Luke let Lorelai walk away?" She had to get back to the point.

Kirk, who was sitting next to April at the counter, decided it was time to put in his two cents. "Because Lorelai cheated on Luke with Rory's father."

"What?" April looked at Lane.

"Sometimes when you're hurt you make mistakes. Lorelai asked Luke to marry her. But she made the mistake to push him when she did. She asked him to elope and gave him an ultimatum. Now or never. And of course Luke needed time to process and didn't really reply at all, from what I've heard. So Lorelai walked away, believing it was over. She went to Christopher for comfort, and nobody really knows what happened there, not even Rory."

April processed what she heard. "So that's why Luke's so mad at her. But, is Lorelai with this Christopher guy now?"

"No, from what I've heard they had a big fight and Lorelai never wants to see him again. And Rory hasn't talked to him in months either."

"So, what's the problem then? I mean, Lorelai wouldn't just cheat on him right?"

"No, she wouldn't."

"Lorelai wasn't happy for a long time. We all knew it, except Luke. I mean, I don't think he knows what happened at your wedding Lane."

"What happened at your wedding?" April looked curiously.

"Lorelai got drunk and gave a heart-breaking speech. We all knew that she was afraid her wedding would never happen, that she already gave up on it."

"Where was Luke?"

"He was with you. Chaperoning your school trip."

"Oh…" She thought for a while. "It's all my fault, isn't it."

"What? No. None of this is your fault."

"But if I hadn't walked into Luke's life, this wouldn't have happened. I hear the talk around town, Lane. I know that people blame me for what happened. They were about to move in together, until I showed up."

"Listen to me. This is not your fault. Both Luke and Lorelai made mistakes. That has nothing to do with you."

"But it feels like it does." She turned to face Kirk, hoping to get his opinion.

"It's when it all started. They were happy before."

"Kirk." Lane looked at him angrily.

"What? It's true."

"Get out."

"But.."

"Just go Kirk. You finished your food. So just leave us alone."

"But I have nowhere to go."

"I don't care."

The look Lane gave him said enough, so Kirk hurried outside.

"He's wrong. You're not to blame for this. They made the mistakes all on their own. If it wasn't about you, it would have been about something else. They don't talk. They try to protect each other and that's wrong."

April nodded, not completely convinced.

"Don't blame yourself okay. They did it all on their own."

"Okay." She was lost in thoughts for a few minutes. "Do you think it can be fixed?"

"Maybe. If Luke sees that Lorelai's not the only one who made mistakes. I don't think he sees what he did wrong. He was so busy with himself, that he didn't saw how hurt she was. Maybe if he can see that…"

"So, if he would have been at your wedding and heard Lorelai's speech, that would have helped?"

"Maybe. But I don't think she would have gotten so drunk if he were there."

"That's not the point. You have a wedding video right?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Do you have Lorelai's speech on it?"

"They cut it out. Lorelai was so embarrassed. She didn't want Luke to know. The whole town covered for her."

"I guess that was nice, but it didn't help them. How about the original tape?"

"I still have it."

"Then show it to Luke."

"I'm not sure if he would watch it."

"Then I'll make him. Can you get me the tape?" She begged Lane with her eyes.

"I'll go get it. But you have to promise me you stay here in the diner and do nothing your dad doesn't want you to do, okay?"

"Okay. I promise."

"Caesar, I'll be back in five minutes."

"Okay."

Lane ran towards her house where she had to look for the tape for a few minutes, then she ran back. She was happy to see Luke wasn't back yet when she came back.

"Here. I'm not sure where on the tape it is. I just hope Lorelai won't be mad at me."

"I'll go upstairs to see it first. But from what you told me, I think this can be just what he needs to see."

"I hope so. But you can't go upstairs. He told me to keep you down here."

"It's okay."

April hurried upstairs and ignored Lane's yelling for her to come back. She put the tape in the VCR and pressed play. She saw Lane in a weird gown, and Zack dressed alike. She hit the stop button and then fast forwarded a while. After 45 minutes she hit the play button again. She saw Lane and Zack dancing. She was wearing different clothes now. A short white dress.

She fast forwarded another ten minutes and saw Rory on stage when she hit the play button. She knew she was close. She watched Rory's speech. Then she saw how Lorelai climbed on the stage. Tears almost filled her eyes when she saw how heart-broken Lorelai looked. She stopped the tape at the point where Lorelai walked to the microphone and turned off the TV. Now all she had to do was make sure Luke saw it.

T.B.C.


	3. Lane's wedding video

_A/N: All of you, thank you so much for all the reviews. I never got so many reviews on a chapter before. I would have replied personally, but I'd rather spend the time by posting this new chapter, since it's pretty slow at work at the moment and I have it on disk ;) Please continue telling me what you think of this story! And special thanks to David!_

**Chapter 3 – Lane's wedding video**

"Hey Luke?" It was the afternoon lull and April though it was the perfect moment to get Luke upstairs.

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to watch a movie with me?"

Luke turned to look at Lane, who nodded. "Sure."

They walked upstairs. "The tape is already in the VCR. Why don't you look up the beginning, I have to go the bathroom."

"Sure."

Luke turned the TV on, and with the remote in his hands he sat down on the couch. He hit the play button and was surprised when he saw Lorelai on the screen. He wanted to hit the stop button, but her appearance made him stop. He wondered how the tape got in his VCR though.

"_Hello, everybody hello" _

'Where is this? She seems drunk.'

"_Some of you know me as Lorelai Gilmore. And some of you know me as Cher. But either way I wanted to say a few words to our girl." _

The screen turned to Lane and Zack, so he knew it was their wedding. 'Maybe this is when she starts singing.'

"_I've known Lane forever. And I'm just so incredibly happy that she has gotten married. I mean, I am just so happy that this adorable 22 year old girl has gotten married because it's amazing you know, it's really hard to get married. Believe me, I should know. I mean, seriously because Lane is married, and next thing it will be my daughter, and then my granddaughter, but not me. I'm not getting married. No. it ain't for me. It's not in the cards. But, hey, do you know what date I'm not getting married? June 3rd. Do not safe the date. Do you hear me? Do whatever you want on June 3rd. Because there's nothing at all happening at that date. If there's anything you need to book or something, it's totally safe to book it on June 3rd. So, congratulations Lane and Zack. Who else here had 8 shots of tequila? Anybody? Hands…. Oh my gosh, who misses the yummy bartenders? I know, me too, they were so great. I was going to ask them to not work on June 3rrd , on my not wedding. I just thought that would be so fun." _

Then Christopher and Rory were standing on the stage next to Lorelai.

"_Hi… Chris… and hi… Rory. Hi." _

"_How about some coffee?"_

"_What? Oh, I guess we're going over here."_

Chris and Rory took Lorelai off stage. Then Lane and Zack came into view again. Luke hit the stop button. Why didn't anyone tell him about this? That's when he noticed April was looking at him.

"Dad…"

"Uhmm… I think you got the wrong tape somehow. This wasn't some movie."

"I know. I put it in there."

"What. Why?" He looked at her angrily.

"Because, dad I think it's wrong they tried to keep this from you. I know that you think Lorelai is the one to blame for your break-up. I know that you think she made all the mistakes, but I've been thinking about it. Why didn't she ever come to the diner when I was there?"

"Because I wanted to get to know you first."

"That's fair, but I've only seen her twice. First when I didn't knew how she was, and obviously she didn't know who I was too. And second at my birthday party. I really liked her dad. Why could I meet everyone in town but her?"

"It's not like I was keeping you from her. I just wanted you to like me first. Because Lorelai is Lorelai. Everybody likes her, and I…."

"You were afraid I wouldn't see you anymore once I met her?"

He looked guilty.

"That's so stupid."

"I realize that now. But she's the one who cheated on me."

April shook her head. "So it doesn't matter how much you hurt her all those months."

"No, I guess not." He suddenly got mad. "I told you yesterday that you have no right to go through my stuff. That means you have no right to dig into my life and tell me I made mistakes. I'm your father and I get to tell you what to do, not the other way around. I'm going to take you home now."

April felt tears sting behind her eyes. Never had Luke yelled at her before. She wanted nothing more than to go back to her mom, but her mom was gone all weekend. "You can't." Her voice was quiet and quivering.

"I told you already, you can not tell me what to do. Get your stuff, I'm going to take you home."

"You can't. My mom's not there." A tear escaped from her eyes.

Luke looked at his daughter. "Then fine, stay here. I'm going out." He turned around and slammed the door behind him.

April walked to her bed and let herself fall down. She hugged her pillow against her chest as she silently cried.

-xxxxxx-

Lane heard the yelling upstairs, and saw how Luke ran down the stairs and outside the diner. For two seconds she doubted which way to go, and decided to go after Luke. She had to ran to catch up with him.

"Luke stop."

He turned around when he heard his name. "What?"

"You shouldn't be mad at her. She's only trying to help."

"She has no right to barge into my life the way she does. She can't tell me what to do. I'm her father, not the other way around."

"She means well, Luke. She sees how unhappy you are, and she hears the stories. She thinks it's all her fault and now she wants to fix it."

"So obviously you're the one who gave her the tape. Why did you show it to her?"

"Because she asked me. Kirk was the one who told her what happened at my wedding, and I guess she thought it would make you understand Lorelai's side of the story more. She was unhappy Luke. She never wanted to postpone the wedding, but she did it for you. She gave you all the space you needed, even though it made her feel insecure about herself. She started believing in you and it was only a matter of time before she would let it out. It just took longer than everybody thought."

"What do you mean, what everybody thought?"

"Come on, let's sit down."

She led him into the gazebo where they sat down.

"The whole town saw how unhappy Lorelai was. They all saw how left out she felt. But she wanted to give you all the time you needed. She told Rory that many times, and Sookie too. You should talk to them if you want first-hand information. But I can tell you that she hasn't been happy in a long time. Everybody thought you moved in together when her house was finished. But then you started sleeping at the diner more often again. More than you did the past year. She was drunk when she said the things she said at my wedding, but they say that only kids and drunk people tell the truth."

He shook his head and started at his feet. He couldn't look up. "I've been an idiot."

Lane smiled. "Yes you have. But if you want my honest opinion, it's not too late. She loves you Luke. And I know you love her too."

"But she cheated on me."

"Yes she did."

Luke looked up, curious at how she was going to make this sound okay.

"She cheated on you and that hurt you, but you've been hurting her too. You both made mistakes, and you have to forgive each other if you ever want a future with her."

"What about Chris?"

"Lorelai blamed him for what happened that evening and Chris got mad at her. They haven't talked ever since. And Rory hasn't talked to him either."

"But he's her father."

"He is, but Luke, she told me so many times that you were more a father to her than he has ever been."

Luke nodded slowly, trying to take in what Lane was telling him. "I've been an ass, haven't I?"

"Yes, you have. But it's not too late. I know it's not."

"But that doesn't change the fact that she cheated on me."

"Nothing will change that Luke. But if you still want her, you have to forgive her."

"I don't think I can."

Lane shook her head. "I'm sorry to hear that. You and Lorelai have both been through so much. You're perfect for each other and nobody understands what went wrong between the two of you."

"That's simple. She cheated on me."

"And you hurt her."

"I don't see how that's worse."

"Maybe it's not. But you both hurt each other. And Luke, I honestly don't believe that Lorelai wanted to cheat on you. She never intended to do that."

"But she still did."

"And she regrets it more than anything in the world Luke. She hated herself for what she's done."

"She should."

Lane shook her head. "Do you think you could ever forgive her?"

"I don't know. She hurt me a lot."

"Like you hurt her. You have to talk to her Luke. If you still want a chance with her, you have to talk to her. You have to try and work this out. I know you still love her Luke. You wouldn't have gotten mad at April if you didn't. And I know Lorelai still loves you, no matter what happened. You have to try and make things right."

"I don't know if I can."

"You will never know if you don't try. You've seen how hurt she was at my wedding. She felt like that for months."

"She never said anything."

"Because she wanted to give you all the time you needed."

"Then how is all of this my fault?"

"I didn't say it was. Nobody ever said that. I'm just saying that you're both wrong here and you have to talk about it and learn to forgive each other. And Luke, for what it's worth, I think that even though you're mad, part of you already forgave her."

He shook his head. "I don't know."

"Just think about it okay. You have to talk to April now, and you have to think about what you want to do. But trust me when I tell you it's not too late."

He nodded and stood up without saying another word. He entered his apartment and walked to April's bed. The young girl was sleeping. Tear stains were still visible on her cheeks. He sat down next to her and ran his hand through her hair.

"I'm so sorry."

April slowly opened her eyes. "Dad?"

"I'm here."

April sat up in her bed. "I'm so sorry. I'll never ever look through your stuff again. I promise."

"It's okay. I overreacted. You were right you know. I've been an idiot."

She smiled slightly, not really knowing what to say.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What do you think of Lorelai?"

"I think she's awesome. I really like her dad. And I know she really likes you."

"Do you think I still have a chance with her?"

"I think so."

"So, what should I do?"

"You have to talk to her. You have to admit the mistakes you made and you have to forgive her for the mistakes she made. And Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"You have to tell my mom you love her."

Luke sighed. "April, I don't love your mom."

She shook her head fast. "So not what I meant. I mean, you have to tell my mom that you love Lorelai. That you are going to marry her and that you're going to spend the rest of your life with her. I happened to overhear the talk my mom had with Lorelai a few months ago, and she said that an engagement isn't the same as a marriage."

"She said that?"

"I guess my mom was a little jealous." April giggled. "Maybe it's weird that I don't want you to be with my mom, like most kids want. I think my mom is a little jealous because she has been alone all the time, but I've told her a dozen times that she can date. That I'm old enough to understand when a relationship doesn't work out. And I know that you may think I'm not because of everything I said to you, but I do. I just think that the two of you belong together. And I know that I have one mom and I don't want Lorelai to replace her, but I do think it's nice if we could be friends or something."

Luke was amazed at how smart his daughter was. Then he thought back to the night Lorelai came to him with her ultimatum. The night before everything went so wrong. But when he pictured Lorelai standing in front of him that night, and remembering the things he said he understood it better. Why she came to him that night with her ultimatum, why she said the things she said and why she wanted nothing more than to get married at that point.

"Luke?"

April shook him out of his thoughts. "When do you think I should go to her?"

"Tonight. She's probably working now."

"Right."

"And dad?"

"Yeah?"

"You should bring the boots."

T.B.C.


	4. A real conversation

_A/N: Thanks all. You're amazing!_

**Chapter Four – A Real Conversation**

Luke spend the rest of the afternoon with April. They watched a movie, and Luke told her some stories about Lorelai and Rory. Luke knew it would take a lot for him and Lorelai to get back together, but he knew he still loved her and he learned that he could forgive her for the mistakes she made. He only hoped she could forgive him for the mistakes he made.

After dinner rush, he left April with Lane in the diner. Lane promised she would stay with April until he was home, even though April told him a hundred times that she's home alone all the time. With the shoe box and a bag with diner food and coffee he walked towards Lorelai's house. He thought about driving his truck, but was afraid she wouldn't open her door for him if she saw his truck coming.

He was happy to see her jeep parked at her regular spot under the tree. And he knew she was home, because the lights were on in the living room. He climbed the steps to her front porch and rang the doorbell. He waited for her to open the door and didn't realize he was holding his breath until she opened the door and he let it go.

"Luke?"

"Hey."

"What are you doing here?"

"I brought you some food."

She took the bag from him. "Thanks." She looked at his hands and noticed the box. "What's that?"

"Something April found in the back of my closet. It belongs to you."

She looked uncomfortable, not knowing whether to invite him in or not.

"Can we talk?" He saw her doubts and hoped he could help her make a choice.

"Uh, sure." She stepped aside to let him in. They walked towards the living room together and each sat down at opposite ends of the couch. As far away from each other as possible.

Luke felt her discomfort. "You can eat your burger first if you want. And there's also coffee in there."

She looked up at him. "Thanks."

She opened the bag and took out the cup. She took a big sip and sighed in relief. "I missed that."

He watched as she ate her burger and her fries and when she finished her food, he handed her the box.

"Here."

"What's in it?"

"Open it."

Lorelai was surprised he wanted to talk to her after everything that happened, but now he was not only bringing her food, but a gift as well. She tried not to think any of it, because she knew she couldn't handle the disappointment. Not again. With shaking hands she took the lid of the box and gasped when she saw the yellow boots. She looked up at Luke, her eyes questioning.

"They've been in the bottom of my closet for over a year. They came in after we broke up and I couldn't bring myself to give them to you. After we got back together, I forgot about them. I forgot I had them, until April showed them to me yesterday evening. I wanted you to have them."

She looked back at the box, and let her hands trace the yellow rubber. Without looking up she said. "I don't understand."

"What?"

"I don't understand why you give them to me now."

"Because they're yours."

"But we've broken up again Luke. And this time it's so much worse than last time."

He stared at his knees now. "I know."

"So why?" She glanced at her side where he was sitting.

He looked at her and their gazes met. "I saw the video."

Not understand where he was talking about now, she shook her head.

"After April found the boots I told her the story. About why I bought them and why I never gave them to you. When I went to the bank the next day, she went to Lane and asked her about you and me. Lane told her some things and showed her the tape of her wedding. She gave it to April who put it in the VCR. Then she tricked me into watching it."

Looking away again, she said, "My speech."

Luke nodded, and when he realized she wasn't looking at him, he said, "Yes."

"You weren't supposed to see that."

"Why not?"

"Because it was the most embarrassing moment I ever had in my life. Well, until then at least." She sighed.

"I had no idea you were so unhappy. I was so caught up in myself, that I didn't see what it was doing to you."

She slowly shook her head. "It doesn't matter now."

"Only if you don't want it to."

That made her look up again.

"I'm sorry for the way I hurt you Lorelai. And I'm even more sorry for never seeing it. I didn't realize that you thought we were never getting married. I didn't realize you gave up."

Before she realized it, and had the chance to stop it, her eyes filled with tears.

"I never wanted to give up. I just, the longer it took, the more you pulled away from me, the more I started to believe it was never going to happen." She wiped at her eyes.

He nodded. "I know that now. I just, I wish you would have said something. I didn't realize what a jerk I've been until I saw the look on your face at the wedding video."

"Maybe that says enough Luke. You were so caught up in your own new life, that you forgot about the one you already had. You forgot about me. And I really tried to give you all the space you needed, but it was just too much. I know now that I should have said something. And I know that it was a mistake. I know that I was jealous as much as I didn't want to be. You just found out you had a daughter, a daughter you hadn't known for over 12 years. I wanted to be supportive and let you deal with it by yourself, but it hurt Luke. It hurt that you didn't come to me. It hurt that you kept it from me for two whole months. It hurt that the whole town met her, while I wasn't allowed to come to the diner."

He had to close his eyes when he saw how much pain he caused her.

"I'm so sorry Lorelai. I wish things were different."

"Me too. I'm so sorry Luke. I'm sorry for not saying something. I'm sorry for pushing you that night, for doing what I did."

"For months I thought that you wanted to be with him. But Lane said you haven't talked to him in months. And neither has Rory."

"I haven't. He took advantage of me, Luke. I know I was there as much as he was, but I was vulnerable and I went to him only because I needed a friend. The truth is, he wanted to get back together with me. He expected it even. When I said it was a mistake and that it didn't mean anything he was hurt and mad."

She tried to gauge Luke's reaction when she told him this. From the look on his face, she knew she had to continue.

"But I was pissed off. I ruined the best relationship I ever had. Even though I hadn't been happy in months, I still loved you and no matter what, I wanted to marry you. The moment I opened my eyes and found out I was in bed next to him, I knew I blew that chance forever."

Luke swallowed hard at this, trying hard not to picture what she was telling him.

She heard his reaction, but knew she had to continue now.

"In a way it's not fair that I blame him for what happened, but he could and should have stopped it. That's why Rory is mad at him and that's why I haven't seen or spoken to him in months. I realized something I should have realized twenty years ago. The only person he ever thought about was himself. He never thought about me, or Rory and how he affected everything in our lives. I'd rather be alone for the rest of my life, than spend one more second with him."

He shook his head. "You can't shut him out of your life. You should know that by now."

"I know I thought that before. But I thought he changed. He wanted to do something for me, and I refused that because I was with you and I was planning on spending the rest of my life with you. But he wanted to do something for Rory as well."

"And that's exactly why you can't cut him out of your life Lorelai. He's paying for her school. He wants to go to her graduation. You can't not go to your daughter's college graduation because her father is going to be there. Or what about her wedding and all the other important moments in her life?"

"What part of Rory cutting him out of her life didn't you get Luke? My parents are paying for Yale again. She went to them after she found out what happened and since they still had the money they decided to pay for her tuition rather than donating it to the school as a new science building. They were a little sad that the Rory Gilmore Science Building wasn't going to be there, but they got over it."

He had no idea what building she was talking about, but he liked that Emily and Richard were paying Rory's tuition again. He felt angry again, but when he really looked at Lorelai, he saw how bad she looked. He stared at her intently and didn't realize how uncomfortable that made her feel.

"You have to take better care of yourself. You don't look so good."

She looked guilty. "It'll be okay. I just need some time. A lot of time. It's hard to get out of bed in the morning, and it's even harder to get back in there at night. The first few weeks I slept in Rory's bed, but when she came home for the summer, I had no choice but to go back upstairs. I just have a little trouble sleeping alone in the bed that was supposed to be ours. To see my big bedroom and the bathroom. To see the stuff we picked out together, and knowing that I'll be the only one using it." She looked at him. "It's hard for me to sit here next to you Luke, knowing that we'll never be."

He looked her directly in the eyes. "Why did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Why did you sleep with him?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. I remember walking away after our discussion and I felt so lost. I had nowhere to go. I couldn't go to Rory because Logan had just left to go to London for a year, so she had her own pain. I already had been to Sookie's the day before and she shouldn't have to deal with my problems. She's busy enough with taking care of Jackson and her two kids, and making sure our kitchen runs smoothly.

And I definitely couldn't go home. I couldn't face the house we were supposed to life in together, knowing I would be only one living there. I just couldn't. And I had just seen Chris at my parent's dinner so I had him still on my mind. I don't remember driving my car towards his place. I don't remember ringing his doorbell and going inside. I remember sitting next to him, crying my eyes about because of what happened. The next thing I know was waking up in his bed."

He looked at her, disgusted. "How did you ended up there?"

"Part of me wishes I knew, because then I could have stopped it. But part of me is happy that I don't remember, because Luke, there's no other guy I want to be with but you. That's the truth."

"I don't know how to believe that."

"I understand. Part of me can't even believe it. I'm so sorry Luke. For everything."

He nodded and looked at her intently. He once again noticed her appearance. It seemed as if she hadn't slept in weeks. She seemed exhausted and he knew he looked the exact same way. He too had trouble sleeping at night. He heard the talks around town. He noticed how certain people avoided the diner, afraid of getting yelled at or that he would throw them out. If it wasn't for Lane and Caesar, he couldn't be sure to still have a business. And as he looked at her he saw how she was beating herself up. And he knew she told him the truth. Plus, she wasn't the only one who made mistakes. He knew that now. "I can forgive you, if you can forgive me."

Her lip started to quiver. "Don't say that Luke. I cheated on you. I hurt you more than I ever thought possible. I can't even forgive myself. How could you ever forgive me."

"Because I love you."

She shook her head. "I don't know if that's enough. I loved you more than I ever thought possible. You're the only guy I've ever loved, and still, it wasn't enough."

"It is if we let it be."

"I don't know if I can Luke. I don't know if I can let you back in my life, because I know I can't handle having my heart broken again. I know it will kill me."

He nodded, understanding. "I'm going to leave you alone now. I hope you can forgive me for the mistakes I made. I know I forgave you. Not right after I saw the video, but when I talked to Lane and April afterwards. And even more now that we talked. I realize now what I jerk I've been all those months, and I want nothing more than to make up for that. I want you to meet April. I want you to be a part of her life. I want nothing more than that."

"What about Anna?"

"April says she was jealous. She overheard the conversation you had with Anna at her store that day. The things Anna said were only to make you feel less confident about yourself. I was an idiot for letting Anna control my life the way she did. I should have known that as April's father, I have rights. She can't keep me away from April and she can't tell me who can and can not be around her. Especially not when that person is my fiancée."

"Anna is just worried about April. I kept all my boyfriends away from Rory when she was little. It wasn't until I dated Max that I let Rory in and look how that turned out. She was old enough to understand, but she still ended up getting hurt. And that's what Anna's doing. She wants to protect April and that's what a good mother does."

"I never said that Anna isn't a good mother, because she is. She loves April more than anything else, and she believes she does the right things. But she has to learn that April is old enough to understand. That she's old enough to meet new people and they might walk out of her life at some point, but that will only make her stronger. But I don't want to let you go Lorelai. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to marry you and it'd be nice to have one or two kids of our own. I know that we have a lot to work out, but I know we can. I know that."

He stood up without giving her the chance to reply. He kneeled down in front of her and took her head in his hands. Then he pressed his lips against hers and let them linger there for a few seconds before pulling back. "I love you Lorelai. Never forget that." And with that, he walked away.

T.B.C.


	5. Realization

_A/N: Thanks once again for all those wonderful reviews. And thank you David!_

**Chapter 5 - Realization **

Lorelai sat in shock until she heard her front door close. She had the crappiest day at work with Michel bugging her, and Sookie having to go home because Martha got sick. The inn was overbooked and someone threatened to sue her. All she wanted when she came home was to eat dinner, watch a movie and go to bed early and forget about everything. She wasn't sure if her day just turned around 180 degrees. Was Luke really there? Did he say the things he said? Did she just fall asleep and dream the whole thing? But she still felt the warmth of his lips on hers. And she could still hear her the echo of his voice in her head.

She sat on her couch for a few minutes, trying to decide what to do. She ended up picking up her phone and dialing Rory's number.

"Hey, Mom."

"I think I'm going crazy."

"What? Why?"

"I think Luke was just here, telling me that he's sorry for hurting me and that he forgives me for what I did."

"Mom, that's great!"

"I don't know. It sounds too good to be true. He can't just change his mind like that. He…"

"Mom slow down. What happened?"

"Luke brought me the yellow boots."

"Yellow boots?"

Lorelai looked at the box that was standing on the coffee table.

"Yellow fishing boots. Luke ordered them for me when he started working on his father's boat. We broke up before they came in and after we got back together he forgot about them. Apparently April found them in the back of his closet and he decided it was a good idea to bring them to me. But Rory, I don't understand. The first time we broke up was not half as bad as things are right now. So, if he didn't bring me the boots last time, why now?"

"Maybe because he got them right after you broke up last time, and now he had the time to think?"

Lorelai shook her head. "It just doesn't make any sense. I mean, I'd love to believe that he's willing to forgive me for what I did to him, but I don't see how he can."

"Why not? Luke loves you mom. You know it."

"Maybe. But Hon, I know I'll never be able to forgive myself. How will he? I've been thinking about this for months, and there's no way. If there was one, I would have found it."

"But mom, there is. If Luke finds out how much he hurt you all that time, he may understand why you did it."

"But there's no explanation for why I did it. I don't even remember doing it, and I'm glad I don't, but still. I remember waking up in bed next to your father, and realizing how I messed up the one relationship that meant everything to me."

"What's done is done mom. You can live in guilt for the rest of your life, or you have to learn to forgive yourself and to live with what you've done and understand that Luke can do the same. Listen, Lane called me and said that April showed Luke her wedding video. I think he finally realized how hurt you was and found a way to forgive you."

"He wasn't supposed to see that. The whole freaking town covered for me so he wouldn't find out."

"And I've told you all along that was a mistake. You were hurting and he didn't know it. I know you wanted to give him all the time he needed, but I've told you so many times that it was time to tell him the truth."

"It was too late."

"No it wasn't. It was never too late. It's not even too late now."

"Yes it is. We have to move on and I have to learn to be on my own."

"But that's crazy. You just said Luke wants to get back with you."

"But for how long? Until one of us finds out another big secret and we don't know how to deal with it? Until Chris forgets that I never ever want to see him again, and walks back into my life? Luke won't be able to handle that and he'll walk away again. And I can handle living by myself for the rest of my life, but I can't handle losing him once again."

"I don't believe that'll happen. I believe that the two of you are meant for each other."

"I thought so too Rory. But now I know that I've been wrong all along."

"Don't say that. You know just as much as I do that Luke's the one for you. All you have to do is learn to communicate. Both you and Luke have been living on your own for most of your lives. You just have to learn to share that life."

"You know that's not true. I've been living with you most of my life."

"Yes, but it's different. You're my mother, and even though we were more friends than mother and daughter when I got older, you were still my mother and I had to listen to what you had to say. You tried to run things by me first, but if I didn't agree, I still had to obey. Living with a guy is different. You're equal."

"We were equal."

"We both know that even though most of the times we were, that's not completely true. What I'm trying to say is, you and Luke are both independent. You learned to handle situations on your own, without really having to think of the consequences and how it would make other people feel."

"I don't know…"

"It's true mom. You're both so independent and now you have to learn how to share things, how to make one life out of your separate lives. That's what marriage is about. And I know how much you wanted to marry Luke, even when he was hurting you, but what would have been the basis of that marriage?"

Lorelai was tired. She tried to understand what Rory was saying and she knew Rory was partially right, but she couldn't see the point. "I don't see where this is going."

"You would have had a marriage based on a lie mom. Luke didn't know how you were feeling about the whole April situation. As much as you thought it would make a difference to be married, I don't believe it would have made any. It wouldn't have made your problems go away."

Lorelai closed her eyes while she took in what Rory was saying. "So you're saying that our relationship was doomed no matter what."

"No, that's not what I'm saying at all. What I'm trying to say is that you and Luke were supposed to work out all the issues separating you, before you were ready to get married. And no matter what happened in between, if you are both ready to forgive the other for the mistakes made, you're on your way to getting ready. It's not too late. You have to learn to talk about everything and more than anything you have to forgive Luke just like he's forgiving you. And if you can do that, you will be able to spend the rest of your life with Luke because nothing else will matter."

"So you think there's still a chance for us?"

"Yes I do. Think about what I've said, but don't wait too long, Mom. He won't wait for you forever."

Lorelai nodded. "I'll think about it. Thanks for talking to me sweetie. How's school going?"

"Busy from the start. But exciting. I can't believe this will be my last year."

"Me neither."

-xxxxxx-

After Lorelai hung up the phone, she stood up to close the front door and to take the trash into the kitchen. After she turned off all the lights, she took the shoe box from the table and climbed the stairs. She put the box on the bed and walked into the bathroom to take a long, hot shower. In the shower she thought of everything Luke had said to her, and everything Rory had said. When she finally turned off the water, she was more exhausted than she'd been the last few months with all the sleepless nights. But when she saw the shoe box on her bed, she suddenly wasn't tired anymore. She opened her closet and far in the back she saw her perfect dress. She had no other option than to take it out and give it a closer look. She spread it out on the bed and tried to picture herself in it. When she couldn't, she put it on and looked at herself in the mirror.

The dress seemed as perfect as it had when she first saw it. Her eyes filled with tears again as she thought about how she was supposed to wear this dress on June 3rd and how she was supposed to get married that day. But for the first time, as she looked at the dress, she realized that there was something wrong with it. The color seemed a little off, and the veil made her head look big. And it was just a little too sparkly all together. She looked at herself in the mirror, and for the first time she knew that this dress wasn't it. And the more she thought about it, the more she realized it had all been wrong. She planned a wedding in one day. She wanted nothing more than to get married, but she had rushed into it. It's a weird thing to say when you're 38 years old, but she rushed into this marriage. Or at least, she wanted to rush into it. And when the whole thing got postponed, she wanted to rush into it again when she went to Luke with her ultimatum.

She took the dress off and put it back in its bag. She would put the dress on the internet tomorrow. When she is marrying Luke she wants everything to be perfect. She wants the dress that makes her cry when she puts it on for the first time. Like it always happens in the movies. She wants to plan the wedding with Luke and not with Sookie. She wants to run everything by him and by their daughters and she wants to take all the time she needed. Rory was right when she said they had to work out all their issues before they were ready for marriage. And it was about time they started working on it.

T.B.C.


	6. A sign

_A/N: I once again want to thank all of you who are reading and reviewing this story. And special thanks to David for his help with this story!_

Chapter 6 – A sign

Even though Lorelai told herself she didn't want to rush anything, she didn't want to waste anymore time with Luke. She put on her coat but when she opened the door, she saw it was raining. From what she remembered the weather was beautiful all day long, but now the rain was pouring down the sky. As if that wasn't enough, she heard a thunder far away. She took this as a sign. Maybe it was wrong after all. Maybe it was already too late. She shook her head while she threw her coat on the couch and climbed the stairs once again. But when she entered her bedroom she saw the shoe box still on her bed. With a small smile she opened the box and took the boots out. She kicked her sneakers off, and put on the boots. They felt horrible and when she looked in the mirror she couldn't remember why she ever thought they were cute. But when she heard another thunder clap and heard how hard the rain hit against her window, she realized that's the thing about rubber boots -- they look awful but come in very handy.

Back downstairs she put on her coat and grabbed her purse. She didn't bother to lock the door behind her as she ran towards her jeep. She put the keys into the ignition, but the car wouldn't start. It was as if everything was working against her, but she didn't let it bother her anymore. She was too determined to talk to Luke so she got out of the car and ran all the way to the diner, with the boots splashing in the rain.

Lorelai reached for the key above the diner door, and was happy to find it there. She entered the diner with the bells ringing above her head. The place was empty, but she heard voices upstairs so she knew Luke was still awake. She climbed the stairs and knocked on his apartment door.

-xxxxxx-

Luke looked at April. "Just a sec. I believe there's someone at the door."

"How, the diner is closed isn't it? Plus, it's storming outside. They would be crazy to go out in this weather."

He nodded, thinking that maybe he heard wrong. But when he heard another knock, he knew it had to be Lorelai. She was the only one who knew where he hid the key, and she'd be the only one crazy enough to go out in this weather. He opened the door and saw Lorelai standing on the other side. She was completely soaked. He took in her appearance and had to smile when he saw the yellow boots on her feet.

"You have to be crazy to go out in this weather."

He stepped aside to let her in. Then he closed the door behind her and went to find her a towel and some dry clothes.

Lorelai shivered as she entered the apartment. She looked around and saw that the place still looked the same, except from the young girl sitting on his couch. "Hey April."

"Hey Lorelai."

An uncomfortable silence followed, but was soon broken by Luke. He put a dry towel around Lorelai. "Here, I hope that'll warm you up a little. You can always take a shower though. I put some clean clothes in the bathroom."

"Thanks." She looked at him gratefully. "I didn't realize April was here. Maybe I should come back another time."

"Are you crazy? You're not going out in this weather again."

She nodded. "Thanks."

He gave her a smile. "Why don't you put on the dry clothes and then you can officially meet April."

"I've already met her. I even helped to throw her a birthday party, remember?"

"I do. But that was different."

She nodded. "Thanks."

Then she walked into the bathroom. She decided to take a quick shower and came out wearing one of Luke's flannel shirts and a pair of sweat pants about 15 minutes later. She stood silently for a moment, as she watched Luke and April watching TV together. With a smile she announced her presence. "Feels much better. Thanks for loaning me some clothes."

"My shirts look much better on you than they do on me anyway."

April had to laugh at that.

Luke patted on the couch, indicating for Lorelai to sit down next to them.

"What are you watching?"

"We're watching 'Never Been Kissed'," April told Lorelai.

"Oh, I love that movie!"

"It's almost over. This is the part where Josie is telling everybody that's she's not a 17 year old high school student, but a 25 year old reporter."

"I love the part after this."

"Me too."

Luke looked at the girls, not knowing what was coming next. "Why are we watching this if you've already seen the movie?"

April laughed at this. "Because no matter how many times you watch this movie, it stays exciting. But I guess you wouldn't understand."

"He never does. Rory and I watch movies over and over again all the time. I don't even remember how many times I've seen Willy Wonka."

"Oh, that's one of my favorites. My mom bought it for me when I was four years old. I've seen it a thousand times at least!"

"Me too." Lorelai smiled at how much she already seemed to have in common with April. She anxiously watched Luke, hoping he wouldn't mind that April seemed to like her so much. But the look on his face was only proud. That made her feel more at ease.

"Oh, now the clock is set at five minutes."

They looked at Josie standing on the pitcher's mound surrounded by thousands of people, all waiting for Sam to show up. Silently the seconds ticked away as the clock went to zero.

"I can't believe the guy is so stupid not to show up." Luke stated. "I know she hurt him, but isn't it obvious how right she is for him?"

Lorelai smiled as suddenly everybody started to cheer on the TV and they saw how Sam was running on the field and kissed Josie for the very first time in her life. "Looks like he made it after all." She looked at Luke and hoped he understood how she could somehow relate to Josie.

"Yeah." He nodded. When the movie was over Luke took out the DVD.

"Hey April, how about you go to bed, and Lorelai and I go downstairs to talk? Are you okay with that or are you afraid to be by yourself because of the thunderstorm?"

"I haven't been scared of thunderstorms since I was five Luke. After that I found out where they come from and I actually think they're cool. I'm a big girl, plus, you're right downstairs if I need anything. Take all the time you need."

"Good." He kissed his daughter on her forehead. "Goodnight April."

"Goodnight dad. Goodnight Lorelai."

"Goodnight kid." She smiled at Luke when she heard April call him dad. She walked downstairs and sat down at one of the stools, while Luke started making coffee. "When did that happen?"

"When did what happen?"

"When did she started calling you dad?"

"The first time she called me her dad was when I was chaperoning her school trip, as in 'that's my dad'. But wasn't until about a month ago when she accidentally called me dad for the first time. She said she was sorry and didn't mean to say it, but I told her I liked it and now she calls me dad all the time."

"It sounds good." Lorelai smiled at him.

"Yeah it does." He smiled back. They stared at each other in silence for a few minutes. When the coffee was ready Luke filled a cup and placed it in front of Lorelai. Then he took a seat next to her. "I'm glad you came here, although you could have waited until tomorrow. I'm sure the weather would have cleared up by then."

"I couldn't wait anymore. First I thought the weather was a sign. That I wasn't supposed to come here. But then I went upstairs to my room and saw the shoe box on my bed and I realized it was exactly what was supposed to happen."

"Good thing I brought them over then."

"Definitely." She smiled slightly. "I've thought about what you've said, and I think I was afraid to forgive you at first, but now I know that I'm ready. I forgive you Luke, for everything. And I think that one day, I might even be able to forgive myself."

He took her hand in his. "We've both made mistakes. And we have to learn to live with them."

She nodded. "We do. I know that we have a lot to work out, but I believe we can."

"Me too. I'm sorry for everything I did to you Lorelai. For the way I hurt you all those months. I'd do anything to take it back."

"Me too. But we can't. I guess we have to learn from the mistakes we made. Rory says that we're both too independent and that it wouldn't have worked out if we'd rushed into marriage."

"But I'm ready to marry you now. I'll drive to Maryland with you tomorrow if you still want me to."

She shook her head. "No, I don't."

"Oh." He sounded sad.

Looking directly into his eyes she said "I tried on my wedding dress this evening. And for the first time I was able to look past it, past the feeling of wearing it and really see it. And the more I looked at it, the more things I started to see that were wrong."

"But it's perfect. You look beautiful in that dress."

"No. I thought it was perfect. I thought I planned the perfect wedding in one day, but I was wrong Luke. I've never been more wrong in my life. I've thought about what I want. I want to plan every detail with you. It's our wedding and I want it to be exactly the way we want it to be. Not just me. I want to get marry at a place we both pick. I want to eat the wedding cake we both think tastes the best. I want to decide every little detail with you, and our daughters. That's all I really want Luke."

"What about Sookie?"

"She might be a little hurt that I want to plan the wedding with you instead of with her. But as the BFOTB she'll understand. Plus, she is the one that's supposed to help me find the perfect dress. And this time you won't be allowed to see it until the wedding. You were right, it is bad luck if the groom sees the dress before the wedding."

Luke smiled and reached into his pocket. He took out the ring he put in there when he went to Lorelai earlier that day. He liked how it felt in his hands. Without saying anything he stood up, and pulled Lorelai with him. He made sure she was standing in front of him when he kneeled down on one knee.

"What are you doing?"

"Will you just shut up." Luke smiled as he took her left hand in his. He looked her directly in the eyes as he said "Marry me Lorelai."

She broke the gaze and looked away as her eyes filled with tears. "We can't rush into this again Luke. We did that last time and look how that turned out."

He stood up and took her hands in his. "I don't want us to rush into anything. I just want to know that you still want to marry me. I want this ring back on your finger where it belongs. I know that we have a lot to work out, and we will. I just need to know that you'll still have me. That you're willing to spend the rest of your life with me, because I want to spend the rest of my life with you. All of it."

She pulled her hands away from him, as she sat down on one of the stools. "We have to talk about this Luke."

"I know. I just thought you still want us, because you came here tonight. Plus, we were just talking about how we want our wedding to be. How is there ever going to be a wedding if we're not engaged?"

"I want us Luke. I want us to get married. I just need to talk first. I need to know for sure that when I get back into this, that you don't want out again."

"I don't. I want to be with you Lorelai."

"You've said that before. We've said it before."

"I know. But a lot changed. We know what we did wrong now, we know where our problems are so all we have to do is solve them."

"You make it sound like it's easy. It's not Luke. We make promises to each other over and over again, but we never seem to keep any. I can't do that anymore."

"I understand. I know now how much I hurt you Lorelai. I understand that you can't trust me. But I want to work it out. I want us to be honest with each other."

She nodded. "Me too. But it's not as simple as we thought it was. I think we've proved that by now."

"I know, and you're right. But I want to work this out. And I know that we both have to learn a lot of things. But I know that we can do it."

"We have to tell each other everything. It's not going to work if we don't do that."

"I want to tell you everything."

"Good. I want to tell you everything too."

He smiled. "We're going to work this out. I know we will."

"So we talked about being honest with each other. And I know it won't be easy, but I guess it's something we just need to learn. But Luke, there's so much else. What about April?"

"You were right when you said that we have to find a way to fit her in our life. We have to get her a room at our house so she can stay over whenever she wants. She comes to the diner a few days a week, but we haven't worked out a schedule. We can if you want to."

"I don't worry about fitting April in our life. It's Anna I'm worried about. She doesn't want her near me, Luke. And she has every right to say that."

"No she hasn't. You and I are getting married. You're going to be my wife and April's step mom. And it doesn't matter that we're not married yet, because we are getting married. Anna has to learn that she's not April's only parent anymore. She doesn't get to decide who she wants April to be with and who not. I have something to say about that too. And I've known you for 10 years. We've been together for 2 years and we're going to get married. I trust you more than anyone else in this world and more than everything I trust you with my daughter. And when I drop April of at Anna's tomorrow, I'm going to tell her that. And if she wants to play hard, I'll take her to court or something."

Lorelai smiled. "She really means a lot to you."

"She does. And so do you Lorelai."

"You mean a lot to me too."

Luke smiled and kneeled down in front of Lorelai once again. "Will you marry me, Lorelai Gilmore?"

She nodded as her eyes filled with tears once again. "More than anything."

He slipped the ring on her finger and then stood up so he could kiss her. He captured her lips with his as he pressed his body against hers. And when their lips connected he knew. The past didn't matter anymore. They both made mistakes and by realizing what they did wrong, they learned to forgive each other and to learn from it. And they both knew that things wouldn't always be easy in the future, but they learned that no matter what, they belonged together and they could work it all out.

"Yes!"

Luke and Lorelai pulled apart when they heard April's voice. They turned to face the girl. "What are you doing out of bed?" Luke was the first to speak.

"I was wondering what was taking you so long. I was afraid that you were going to fight again and I just wanted to make sure that you didn't."

Lorelai smiled. "I'm done fighting with your dad."

"Good."

"Come on, let's all go upstairs."

The three of them went upstairs where April sat down on Luke's bed.

"So you guys worked it out? The engagement is back on?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah."

"YES!"

She yelled even louder than the first time. "I knew that you were right for each other. And I knew you could work it out if you just tried to understand the other. I knew it! I'm so glad I found the boots in the bottom of your closet. And I'm glad I went to Lane because that video helped, right? I'm just so happy you are okay!"

Lorelai smiled. "I'm glad you're searching through your dad's stuff. Although you better be careful, he doesn't like it when you do that."

"Tell me about it. He yelled at me when I first did it, but it all turned out okay. So I think he forgave me." She looked at her father.

"For now. But April, you have to learn that you can't go through my stuff. If you want to know something you just have to come to me and ask."

"Yeah right. You nearly killed everybody who asked you about Lorelai."

He shook his head. "Let's make a deal okay. From now on you just ask if you want to know something. Then, if I think there's something I want you to see, I'll show it to you myself."

April nodded. "Okay."

"Good. And now I think it's time for you to go to bed. Do you mind if Lorelai stays here tonight, because it's still storming outside."

"Of course not, although she does have rain boots."

They all smiled. "Yeah I do. And I'm glad I had them today because they came in very handy. But honestly, they're not as pretty as I thought they were so I don't plan on wearing them too often." She turned to look at Luke. "Don't say I told you so, because I know, okay? You were right back then."

"I wasn't planning on saying that. Because for once in my life, I'm happy that you were stubborn back then and convinced me to order those boots. Because honestly, I don't know where we'd be right now if I didn't have them."

All Lorelai could do was kiss him. "I love you Luke."

"I love you too."

And all April did was smile.

The End! 


End file.
